Earlier this week, research firm STR released data claiming that Airbnb has no real impact on hotel room demand in Manhattan. Now, hospitality industry advocates are speaking out, claiming that this conclusion cannot be true, as New York room rates have recently declined, even though visitor numbers continue to increase. The American Hotel & Lodging Association, among those questioning the report, says that the study did not explore whole rental units available full time, or multi-units operated by landlords. Regardless of how much Airbnb is impacting New York, however, a new study from Travelex says that only 4 percent of the 2,000 American leisure travelers surveyed planned to use Airbnb for their next vacation, and that 23 percent plan to stay in a branded property instead. The low number of Airbnb users bodes well for the hotel sector. See below for more news on Airbnb, and for more on this story, click here.
